Another day off for donating blood, including plasma after recovering from COVID-19 | PRO HR February 2021

2021.02.10

As of 26 January 2021, honorary blood donors who have given blood or blood components, including plasma after recovering from being ill with COVID-19 have the right to take a total of up to two days off work.

Thus far, blood donors had the right to take only up to one day off. Blood donors can use these two free days starting with the day of giving blood or blood components and on the following day. 

The right to take another day off is limited in time. It is only valid during the declared period of an epidemiological threat or during an epidemic. After these states are called off, honorary blood donors will only have the right to one day off work in keeping with the rules in place up till now. 

This regulation, however, does give rise to some doubt. In particular, grasping the meaning of the “day following” the day on which a donor gives blood or blood components is problematic. There are two possible interpretations. Reading this regulation literally, one could recognize that the next day refers to a calendar day, i.e. regardless of whether an employee, according to his or her work schedule, has the next day off or whether it is a working day (e.g. if an employee works from Monday to Friday and he or she gives blood or blood components on Friday, then the next day would be Saturday and the employer would not have to give any other day off).

However, considering the purpose of introducing this entitlement, which is to reward employees for donating blood during the epidemic (epidemiological threat), which is a challenging period for the health care system, one could also embrace the idea that the next day refers to a business day. Interpreting this regulation in that manner, based on the example given, the day off taken by an employee who donates blood or blood components on Friday would be Monday as the next business day. This approach appears to be more appropriate. We will certainly not obtain an unambiguous response until the regulation is modified.    

Find more in the PRO HR February 2021.